The News Interpreted
CHANGES 7z the CALENDAR
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Professor Albert Einstein (with his wife)
who gave the theory of relativity to the
world of science, and now announces new
discoveries in electro-gravity
the Bible prophecy of nineteen centuries
ago that this power of the papacy would
be “wounded to death,” and that the
“deadly wound,” would be ‘‘healed.”
Nor were they aware that the same
divine prediction said that ‘all the
world wondered.” Well, all the world
did wonder, and was amazed — and
blessed. We will go more deeply into
the interpretation of these problems
and their fulfillment, in future numbers
of THE WATCHMAN. See Revelation 13:3.
THE ‘WANDERING SABBATH’
Changes are being proposed in the
calendar now used by all civilized
peoples. These proposals, if carried
into effect, will work for good or ill to
business, government, international rela-
tionship, even religion. While the whole
matter has not yet received wide
publicity and general understanding, it
is sure to be a paramount issue before
the world ere long. At the present time
the Foreign Affairs Committee of the
United States House of Representatives
is considering a Joint Resolution that
embodies these changes, and that
advocates our sending a commission
from this country to Furope to join an
APRIL, 1929
international conference on the ques-
tion. The League of Nations, we under-
stand, is sponsoring united action for
some sort of calendar simplification.
In short, the plan provides for thirteen
months in the year, the extra one to be
named Sol and to come between June
and July, with four seven-day weeks in
each month. This would make 364 days.
But as there are 36514 days in the year,
the extra full day would be a “blank
day’ each year, not counted in the
regular calendar, but made a holiday.
And the extra one-fourth day would be
taken care of by adding another ‘‘blank
day’ every four years. Every first day
of the month would come on Sunday,
and every last day on Saturday. The
thirteenth would always come on
Friday. And it is hoped that all holidays
could be made to occur on Mondays,
to make long week-ends.
The world’s method and order of
reckoning time has often been changed
by governments. The Julian calendar
of Roman times was a great improve-
ment over what preceded it; and the
Gregorian calendar, which we now have,
materially improved on that of Julius
Cesar. There can be no question but
that the proposed changes now before
the world would greatly facilitate com-
merce, and social and governmental
affairs, and would mean a great con-
venience and saving in banking and busi-
ness circles. Heretofore there has been
more serious consideration given them in
Europe than in America. They are
backed by such
great organizations
as the International
Chamber of Com-
merce and the In-
ternational Astro-
nomical Union. Mr.
Eastman, of “Ko-
dak” fame, and
many prominent
business men, are
using their influence
to urge the reform.
Tug WATCHMAN
takes a firm stand
against this change.
We are in full ac-
cord with calendar
simplification, but
this is the first time
in history that a
general calendar
has been proposed
that would do away
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A congested corner in New York ¥City.
traffic problem is increasingly difficult in our cities
with the regular weekly cycle of days that
has existed uninterrupted, we believe,
since creation. The God-given Sabbath
that we keep, Saturday the seventh
day, is based on the week. God com-
manded a particular day, the seventh
day, exactly every seventh day reckoned
from creation; but the present reform
would make such a Sabbath come on
a different day of the week every year,
because of the ‘““blank day,” and thus
make a ‘‘wandering Sabbath,” which
is not according to God's command at
all.
Regardless of whether or not our
calendar reforming friends agree with us
in this, we, In common with all seventh-
day keepers, including millions of
orthodox Jews, have a right to our
conscientious convictions and religious
practices in the matter. And to make
the Sabbath come on a different day
of the week each year would very
evidently work cruelty and hardship
on Sabbatarians who are working for em-
ployers who have adopted the reform,
and on Sabbath-keeping children who
attend the public schools. We could
not conform, because our very faith is
based on the fundamental idea that
“we ought to obey God rather than
men.’ ‘The seventh-day Sabbath is a
sign between God and His people
(Ezekiel 20: 12, 20), and every modern
tendency, under the instigation of Satan,
the enemy of God, is to obliterate this
sign. It has been done in the institution
of Sundayas a day (Continued on page 28)
The
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